Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

The
Basohali town which is located in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir was in
news on 24 December 2015 as the Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
dedicated the first cable-stayed bridge of North India to the nation.The
592-metre bridge was constructed over river Ravi on Dunera- Basohli-Bhadharwah
road. It would provide close connectivity between three northern states of
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. It is fourth of its kind in
India and first in North India and Jammu and Kashmir. It was constructed by
Border Roads Organization (BRO) at a cost of 145 crore rupees. The work on the
cable stay bridge of the state was started in May 2011 and its completion is
expected to boost the connectivity and tourism in the area.

India’s first indigenously designed & built warship INS
Godavari decommissioned

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

India’s
first indigenously designed and built warship Indian Navy Service (INS)
Godavari was on 23 December 2015 decommissioned in Naval Dockyard Mumbai. It
was commissioned into the Navy on 10 December 1983.With her decommissioning,
INS Godavari (F-20) will complete its full life cycle, meeting all
responsibilities and duties assigned, proving the success of Indian ship design
and construction. It was the lead ship of her class of three guided-missile
frigates of the Indian Navy. The other two warships are INS Ganga and INS
Gomati.Godavari class frigates were armed with potent surface to surface and
surface to air guided missiles. She was also among of the first frigates in the
world capable of carrying two Sea King helicopters (well known as the ‘Flying
Frigate’, because of its integral firepower and sensor suite). Over the 32
years of the service, it was successfully deployed in numerous operations.

Bihar
government on 23 December 2015 banned 15-year-old diesel vehicles from plying
in the Capital, Patna. The decision was taken in view of increasing pollution.The
decision was made during the review meeting of the environment and forests
department under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The execution
was pending since October 2013, when the state transport authority had reached
a decision regarding this.The Chief Minister also instructed State Machinery to
chalk-out a plan to control pollution. He said there will also be restriction
on burning of plastic and solid waste.

Lok Sabha passed The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

The Lok
Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
The Bill will allow doubling of wage ceiling for calculating bonus of factory
workers.The Bill seeks to amend the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. The Bill 2015
was introduced in Lok Sabha on 7 December 2015. It seeks to raise the
eligibility limit for payment of bonus from a salary of 10000 rupees to 21000
rupees a month.It seeks to raise this calculation ceiling of bonus to 7000
rupees per month or as per the minimum wage notified for the employment under
the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (whichever is higher).

International news

OPEC released 2015 OPEC World Oil Outlook

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

The
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on 23 December 2015
released the 2015 OPEC World Oil Outlook (WOO). First published in 2007, the
WOO offers a thorough review and assessment of various scenarios related to the
medium and long-term development of the upstream and downstream sectors of the
oil industry.As per the report, oil and gas, combined, are expected to supply
around 53 percent of the global energy demand by 2040. Global energy demand is
set to increase by almost 50 percent in the period to 2040, with the overall
energy mix continuing to be led by fossil fuels at almost 78 percent.Medium-term
oil demand is revised upward, compared to the WOO 2014, rising above 97 million
barrels a day (mb/d) by 2020. Oil demand is projected to be at 110 mb/d by
2040.

Indian American Rakesh K Jain selected for US National Medal of
Science 2015

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

Indian
American professor Rakesh K Jain was on 22 December 2015 selected for the
National Medal of Science 2015 of United States (US). Jain is a professor at
Harvard Medical School and Director of the Tumour Biology Laboratory at
Massachusetts General Hospital. He will receive the honour along with 16 other
winners of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and
Innovation at a White House ceremony in 2016. Professor Jain holds a B.Tech
degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur.Prof.
Jain is regarded as a pioneer in the area of tumour micro-environment and
widely recognized for his seminal discoveries in tumour biology, drug delivery,
in vivo imaging and bioengineering. His work includes uncovering the barriers
to the delivery and efficacy of molecular and nano-medicines in tumours and
developing new strategies to overcome these barriers.

Appointment

Gautam H Bambawale appointed as India's High Commissioner to
Pakistan

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

Gautam H Bambawale was on 23 December 2015
appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan. He is presently serving as the Indian ambassador to Bhutan.Bambawale
will succeed TCA Raghavan, who will retire at the end of December 2015.Bambawale
is an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1984 batch. Before serving in Bhutan,
he was the Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Union Foreign Ministry
Headquarters from December 2009 to July 2014.In the past, Bambawale has worked
in Germany, US and China. He became the first Consul General of India in
Guangzhou, China, in 2007.

UN adopted resolution to observe 5 November as World Tsunami
Awareness Day

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

The United Nations General Assembly on 22
December 2015 adopted a resolution to observe 5 November every year as World
Tsunami Awareness Day. The creation of the day is aimed at raising awareness
among people in the world of the dangers of tsunami and stressing the
importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage.The proposal
was first suggested by the Japanese Government after the Third UN Conference on
Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.Japan suffered
heavy losses as a result of tsunamis, most recently the Great East Japan
Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011. It claimed over 15000 lives, disrupted
the nuclear power industry and left many thousands homeless.

Business

RBI extended deadline to exchange pre-2005 notes to 30 June 2016

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

The Reserve
Bank of India on 23 December 2015 extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005
currency notes of various denominations by another six months to 30 June 2016.
The decision to extend the deadline was notified by the apex bank in a
statement issued in Mumbai.RBI in an official statement said that the notes can
be exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes
continue to remain legal tender. Soliciting cooperation from members of public
in withdrawing these banknotes, it also urged them to deposit the old design
notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to
them.

Idea became third mobile operator to launch 4G services in India

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

Idea
Cellular on 23 December 2015 became the third mobile operator in India to
launch 4G services in India. Earlier, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India had
launched 4G services in India.Idea, the third largest mobile operator in terms
of revenue and subscriber base, launched the 4G services across 75 towns in the
4 telecom circles of South India, namely Andhra Pradesh & Telangana,
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.Idea customers with 4G devices in these 75
towns can now start experiencing superfast speeds by simply upgrading their
existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards.

Biocon launched generic version of hepatitis-C drug Harvoni in
India

Daily GK updated :: 24th December 2015

Biocon
Limited on 24 December 2015 launched the generic version of hepatitis – C drug
in the Indian market. The generic version of the drug named Harvoni will be
sold under the brand name CIMIVIR-L. The generic drug Harvoni is an improved
version of Gilead’s hepatitis-C drug Sovaldi or sofosbuvir and will come in
fixed-dose combination of ledipasvir-sofosbuvir of 90mg and 400mg,
respectively.The sale of ledipasvir-sofosbuvir combination was recently
approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), which is being
manufactured in India under a license from Gilead.